Apparatus for shock therapy



Dec. 12, 1950 A. M PHAlL APPARATUS FOR SHOCK THERAPY Filed April 10, 194"! PA T/ENT fiver: 6 07" g/L YM-a c. we

5 we yo??? W Patented Dec. 12, 1950 .A RARA US FOB HQQK EEHERARY Aug-us MacPi-hail, Hitchin, England, :assignor ito Theratronicszhimited, London, England Application Aprill'i), 1947, 'Serial No. #40518 fin -Great Britain Eebnuary 1-1, 1946' Secffion iu' licl 99, Au us 19. Patent expires February 11 1966 This invention relates -to apparatus fQr lc tric therapy and more particularly to apparatus for use in producing convulsions in asub-iect passing electric JCUIIBIItS through %tihe.ibr. n in for example, the treatment :01 mental disorder to the present "apparatus of the ioregoing kind has essentially .consisted of a .stepdo wn transformer suitable for :direct connection to A..-:C. mains and .a time .switch .:,de.vice operable therewith to allow .supply .of a low frequency treating current for a predetermined period. The voltage range available 'for treatment was usually "50 to .150 volts and the duration of :the treatment about i0.1 to ,1 second. 'The patient was treated floybeing'includedin the electric circult and since .the impedance .of ,the patient gin,- stantaneously varied, the total energy or dose could nothe ascertainediexcept by estimations relying .upon such factors as :voltage .of ;supply and duration. Not only .did the known apparatus sufi er from :this serious disadvantage, but moreover in nonvulsion therapy ;it is recognised that effective .convulsing voltages depend .ou the initial dewjcycles :inth-e sense ithatthe voltage :must

be .sufiiciently high to produce the break-:down

efiect, whereas subsequent cycles neednot .be-of the same high voltage. Thusjthe known apparatus-does :notconformto :the :pattern of thedesired treatment.

One object of ithe-.presentinvention .is to pro.- vide apparatus :in which the dosage :in terms of supplied electrical :energy can :be readily :ascertained andcontrolled, whilstafiording treatment currents thataconformato the .pattern of the desired treatment, 1. e. that are initially .of high voltage withsubsequent-decrease. A .further object of :the invention --.is to provide apparatus which will permit use of .bi-direc'tional and/or uni-directional pulsating currents for .the .treatment.

In accordance with the invention treatment currentszin :electroetherapy apparatus of the kind hereinbefore referred to are iproduced with :the aid @of :a condenser or icondensers which can be charged :to a 'known extent and then discharged i-n-an oscillatoryorainterrupted manner to. afiord treatment currents of predetermined dosage value :and at initially high, but decreasing, voltage.

Foraloetter understanding of the nature of the invention a constructional embodiment thereof will hereinafter be described solely by Way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagram.

In this constructional form a firstcondenser i l and a second-condenser M are .ernployed. These howevermay be substituted by. equivalent banks of condensers. Two doublefpole changeover switches l;3,and 11 operating, as a4 pole changeoverunitare connected eaq. .Withone of;

' .2] se zsio hanlsw rsorihat ac rq de scr eneotec pa 32 --m rahl sw tch which may be displaced i to connection o are; .n r had ihtaftl lle eltfi sriii to th... qm tg w .i rmi-h h9g1; of c a in h r u hiq the rio Q ahe hhehiedwsa s r0 ntiqm ihlt- Th!-= ihr of the connections .of ;t ed contacts lfian d iii with the potentiometer are such that w tch ar hoa re at n w th thos .fixe

e hh ehser a e t'h c e -ais e? new. ote t al dete mined b t a abl a i h t otentiom e .A o t e e is r e ab y .ah tah h t .ihs th h ial a ihaahhred hr wee th simp ne t th co dense s when iha a a ihhi cha e a d t i ro ihs ie im e cali rat iih mules-s a t she. the qta l l c i sherry s or li th co den ate The other two pairspf fixed contacts I3 and t .o the cha e-ove switches are chhhqtes w hh ea men i q ii includih efi st a e Q i ir uith eh d .s ircu l lud s the r h h r efi 25' o a .rih aior a ra e teas n ol ah wve s itch.ther Tb'e' nsa ta nt t 22 in h econdcir ui and s cha r cg fte ltifil the .fiIS'FC IQU an a movabl oriact derf'lia l w t th r ed ,ii' se Th .gqntac 1.8 com an wi h th rh i r p t 9f the condo Se .12; i .cohh hteo eve c nduct .2 o the B..,.Ql ircu with th hha x contact?! o th i r or. whi ith hther q hnehih t itli egati e. i connected o e .cqndu to .1 o the se on ircu to an i 'leetmfi imali 1 a see ele t ode-pl 12. phei h he' t in theme 9 the q t- Th pa ient i in l ed i the Qi wi d ew h el qtrogerla e 52 he gi- A ub l cha g -gm switch 1 h orm ng p n o t rs :ci ih c nne th hchie H "in-the firstcircui-t theoneswitch armf33 b connected with the conductor-Q27 of sec njd circuit, whilst the other switchiarm "'4 is connected with the stationary contact 2331f the brators-witch which is'in the first circuit. --"I h;e contacts 4;? are simply connected with theiswittih 33 in such-manner as {to produce efiective reversal of connections when said change-over switchds operated, i. -e. to connect, 101' example, the positive .plate of condenser :ll to the conductor 52? or to-"the fixed -contact23 =of the vibrator.

In the use of the apparatus described the changeoverswitches directly associated the condensers are brought first-to-the position where h c nden ers ar c a d Th reafte they switch 30 is in one working position (in the upper position shown in the diagram) it causes discharge currents to be passed through the patient from both condensers H and I2 always in the same direction, the negative plates of both condensers being connected to the conductor 21. When the said switch 30 is, however, in its other working (or lower) position it causes the discharge currents from each condenser to pass through the patient in opposite directions. Thus bi-directional or uni-directional pulsating treatment currents are available. When the switch 30 is open and the four-pole change-over switch l3, i4 is in the position connecting the condensers to the first and second circuits, respectively, only condenser 12 will be discharged, condenser ll being not connected to any closed circuit in this position of the switch 30.

l The apparatus of the present invention thus enables convulsant currents to be produced, Whose applied voltages are initially high but which rapidly fall to zero in a fraction of a second. Moreover, only a small amount of the electrical power is required to charge the condensers and the apparatus may be supplied from D. C. mains or from a battery.

' I claim:

1. An electro-therapy apparatus comprising in combination, a first condenser; a second condenser; a first circuit; a second circuit connected to the terminals of said second condenser; a two-pole change-over switch inserted in said first circuit for connecting said first circuit selectively to the terminals of said first condenser; two electrodes adapted for connection to the patient, one of said electrodes being common to said first circuit and said second circuit; and a vibrating interrupter having a movable contact connected to the other of said electrodes and two stationary contacts connected, respectively, in said first circuit and said second circuit, whereby separate impulses from said two condensers may be applied selectively either unidirectionally or bi-directionally to the patient.

2. An electro-therapy apparatus comprising in combination, a first condenser; a second condenser; a charging circuit for said condensers; a. first circuit; a second circuit; a four-pole change-over switch connecting said condensers to said charging circuit and to said first circuit and said second circuit, respectively; a two-pole change-over switch inserted in said first circuit for connecting said first circuit selectively to the terminals of said first condenser; two electrodes adapted for connection to the patient, one of said electrodes being common to said first circuit and said second circuit; and a vibrating interrupter having a movable contact connected to the other of said electrodes and two stationary contacts connected, respectively, in said first circuit and said second circuit, whereby separate impulses from said two condensers may be applied selectively either uni-directionally or bidirectionally to the patient.

3, An electro-therapy apparatus comprising in combination, at least one capacitor, a charging circuit for said capacitor; a treatment circuit; electrodes adapted to be applied to a patient in said treatment circuit; a periodically operating interrupter connected in said treatment circuit in series with said electrodes; and a switch for alternatively connecting said capacitor across said charging circuit and across said treatment circuit, whereby said capacitor can be first charged by said chargingcircuit and subsequently 4 discharged, the discharge current being periodically interrupted; i

4. An electro-therapyapparatus comprising in combination, at least one capacitor, a charging circuit for said capacitor; a treatment circuit; electrodes adapted to be applied to a patient in said treatment circuit; a vibrating interrupter connected in said treatment circuit in series with said electrodes; and a switch for alternatively connecting said capacitor across said charging circuit and across said treatment circuit, whereby said capacitor can first be charged by said charging circuit and subsequently discharged, the discharge current being periodically interrupted.

5. An electro-therapy apparatus comprising in combination, two capacitors, a charging circuit for said capacitors; a treatment circuit having three branches with twoterrninals each; electrodes adapted to be applied to a patient in the first of said branches; a vibrator alternately connecting one terminal of the second branch and one terminal of the third branch to one terminal of said first branch; a first switching means connecting one of said capacitors alternatively across the charging circuit and the free terminals of the first and second branches of the treatment circuit; and a second switching means connecting the other capacitor alternatively across the charging circuit and the free terminals of the first and third branches of the treatment circuit.

6. An electro-therapy apparatus comprising in combination, twocapacitors, a charging circuit for said capacitors; a treatment circuit having three branches with two terminals each; electrodes adapted to be applied to a patient in the first of said branches; a vibrator alternately connecting one terminal of the second branch and one terminal of the third branch to one terminal of said first branch; a first switching means connecting one of said capacitors alternatively across the charging circuit and the free terminals of the first and second branches'of the treatment circuit; and a second switching means connecting the other capacitor alternatively across the charging circuit and the free terminals of the first and third branches of the treatment circuit, at least one of said switching means being adapted for reversal of polarity in either of their alternative connections.

'7. An electro-therapy apparatus comprising in combination, at least one capacitor, a charging circuit for said capacitor; a potentiometer in said charging circuit controlling the charging voltage;

, a treatment circuit; electrodes adapted to heap- ANGUS MACPHAIL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,547,665 Page July 28, 1925 2,350,797 Moreland et a1 June 6,1944 2,375,575 Moreland May 8,1945 

